Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-05-07

Especial Correspondence!
ST. AUGUSTINE, March 90
This old Spanish town was founded in 1864,
st seventy-two years after America was
scovered. Ii was a thriving settlement
hen John Smith built his first cabins at
JAMESTOWN, and almost two generations had
we'd and died in it before the Pilgrims landed
&c Plymouth Rock 1t has now fort which
vas occupied by the Spaniards during the
lays Of the inquisition, and in the dungeons
# which skeletons have been found chained
% the wall The senatorial party visited
hese dungeons and with the aid of q lamp
Crept into cells which never see the light of
,.av. We were shown cells which had been
vailed up, and were told that there were
robably other cells under the great ramparts
Which had not yet been discovered. In 1885
70 skeletons in cages were found here and
II these old walls could speak they would, I
coubt not tell many tale of inquisitorial
cruelty. Every stone of the great fort is ce-
rlented with the sweat Of negro slavery. 1t
vas begun 100 years after the discovery Of
America, and occupied 1914 years in building.
4 is made Of Coquina rock, a sort of compo-
iJion Of shell and sand: and it would not
ITO ruins. 1t is row occupied by Geronimo's
and of the Apaches, which are here
nder guard, and during our visit
e sew she Indians and their fam
les in as wild a state as may
g seen on 0hc western frontiers. The squaws
arricd about their pappooses on their backs;
lie Indian boys ran about half naked, and
d he braves and squaws sat upon the walls of
- fort gambling in the Indian fashion Here
md there could be seen fresh beef hung upon
no wall and jerlled for drying, and outside
e some of the tents were camp fires upon
Which a squaw was cooking her meal. The
orgoant in charge told us that the Indians
zero very quiet and that they had not caused
ruch trouble They are given a certain
. owance Of food daily by the government
end are carefully watched.
-
St Augustine has now about 5000 people.
- Is a hodge podge Of the old and the new.
on 60 through narrow streets with over
luSing houses Of the Spanish style, and
imp up against big new hotels with all their
.olern accomplishments. The biggest hotel
the world is being built here. 1t is to be
Known as the Ponce de Leon, and it covers
more ground than does the Capitol of the
: -ited States at Washington. 1t is made of
is coguina, which is gray in color, trimmed
with brick and tile and it has many quaint
p-omenades and porticoes about it. 1t will
Q st from $4,000, 900 to S5,000,0 900 when it is
z Jnlpleted, and there seems to be little doubt
In the minds Of hotel proprietors here as to
its financial success. Florida is a country OF
good hotels The rates are about the same as
those at Saratoga or Long Branch. But you
oun find good accommodations in nearly
avery part Of the state, and you can be as
here as any place else in the
world. The owner of this big hotel is the
Standard Oil millionaire Flagler, and he in
.ends to make it one of the sights Of Florida.
St Augustine is n watering place at pres
1t, and it bids fair to become more so in the
--.rre. It's cotts res and hotels are numer-
rs, and it has daily excursions Of crowds
rom Jacksonville. 1t is on the sea, and has
2 beau iful harbor. The fishing and boating
5 good, and salt water bathing is possible in
ath houses. But the sharks sometimes make
bathing in the open sea rather unpleasant.
~
The senatorial party had a very stormy
q assage from Cuba to Florida. The Mascot
a boat OF only 500 tons, and though it is as
uat as a gentleman's yacht it has capacities
Or rolling which one does not find in the At
lutic steamers. We sailed out Of Havana
18th the sun shining and the white caps dane
-lg over the waves about Moro Castle. Pass
lg this, we were rocked upon the pillows Of
ae gulf stream, and we sailed over this
early all Of the way to Key West. This
uif stream has much to do with making
l0rida and Cuba habitable 1t is the most
wonderful river in the world, Its waters are
deep indigo blue, and it flows here
.t ths rate of about five miles
hour tt runs from the Gulf
Mexico up along the coast Of the Atlantic;
I'd Off the Carolinas it is said to be about
% miles wide 1t crosses the Atlantic and
witches its course around the shores of Ire
md, making that island habitable. After
zig 1t loses itself in the northern oceans. 1t
arTies body Of water, it is said, thousand
mes as large as the Mississippi and Amazon
ambined, and plows its way as warm as
Tx through the ice cold waters of the At
ntic. Here, between Cuba and Florida, its
emperature is about 81 dogs, and it ma
orally affects the climate of the regions
trough which it goes. Upon this stream the
Iascot rolled about with every conceivable
IA party. The ladies took themselves to
aeir cabins, and Senator Sherman and Gen.
,IcCook were the only ones who seemed to
free from sickness. Senator Palmer haG
slight touch of it. Senator Henderson
as not at all happy, and as for Senator
Aldrich he did not smile as he passed by.
among the ladies Mrs. McCook proved to be
be best sailor She had bet of a box of
ranges with Senator Palmer that she
Wouldn't 90 below for certain time after
he ship left Moro Castle She won the bet,
md kept on deck during the whole of the day.
We had quite a storm before reaching Key
" est, and during our stay there this so III
.reaSed that we were compelled to lay there
Il night. The next day the storm continued
nd the wind was in such a direction that it
I'D blown most of the water out of Key West
larbor, forcing the ship to take a new course
or Tampa. We passed around the Dry Tor
ug5S where DR.. Mudd and other conspira-
ars Of Iiucoln'S assassination We're confined
hiring the war, arriving at Tampa one day
tier. The still waters of Tampa bay revived
10 lsdies.
We are a good set of travellers, and the
.enators are as arduOus sightseers rs /
ave ever met Senator Sherman is up the
ariest in the morning and he has been ready
~ any excursion or any sight Senator
almer has an extraordinary flow Of good
1ivits He is fully in sympathy with the
sorld, can tell good story, sing good song, |
nd is as full Of information as an egg is of
asat Senator Henderson can see more in a /
sange town in ten days than the ordinary
3urist sees in fifty. He talks to every one,
gd makes nearly every one understand him.
he ladies Of the party are all good travellers, |
nd our courier, Assistant General Passenger |
4 gent Galloway, is prince in his way.
80
met Judge ". D. Kelley, of Pennsylvania. |
n the Windsor hotel at Jacksonville. He had |
ust returned from south Florida, and he was |
all of the wonderful resources and possibni- |
les Of that unknown region. South Florida
rabrsces all the lands south of the twenty |
nth parallel OF latitude. 1t contains over |
900 square miles, an area more than three |
lnes as large as the state of Massachusetts, /
I'D more than twenty times as large as Rhode |
slsud. A greater part Of this territory is /
Unknown and some of it has never been /
xplored. It is great place for the I
ce ,o4fla ,rI p ,r,,,,o,,-o D